Orange County Commissioner Lou Treadway said Tuesday he will meet later this week with the developers of a proposed train system to Walt Disney World in an effort to call off the $394 million project.Treadway, the leading proponent of the 11.7-mile system, said there is no use continuing the project because Disney won't say whether it will let the system cross its property.As chairman of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional transportation planning agency, Treadway last month asked Disney to state its intention by Monday.

The land folks at Colliers Arnold played a big role in the development of Phillips Crossing, a retail center under construction in southwest Orlando. The center will feature the area's second Whole Foods Market. The 52,000-square-foot store is the anchor for the center being developed by Weingarten Realty Investors. Terry Marks, Weingarten's Central Florida point man, had searched for a Whole Foods' location for nearly three years. The Phillips Crossing site at Sand Lake Road and Turkey Lake Road was perfect, but the owners didn't want to sell.

WHAT A great idea! Letter writer Eric Harris suggested that a theme park highlighting the diversity of our great nation be established to balance Disney's Epcot Center.This idea has all the earmarks of a hit. Such a park would be patriotic and educational at a time when more of both are sorely needed. As a visitor to most of our states, I can attest to their endless variety and beauty.This park should be run by someone other than the Disney organization. Maybe the state of Florida, if it would spend the money to do it right, could run the park.

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday it will boycott all Walt Disney Co. products if an upcoming exhibit on Israel depicts Jerusalem as the political capital of the Jewish nation. Arab culture ministers want to send a committee of Arab-Americans and Muslims to see the exhibit before it opens Oct.1 at Disney's Epcot Center - something Disney says it cannot allow because of an agreement with the exhibitor. Disney World spokesman Bill Warren would not say whether Disney would seek changes to the exhibit in response to the criticism.

- Timothy and Lisa McKenna's 1922 dusty pink bungalow in the Lake Davis area of Orlando was built in 1922 for Aaron Litke, owner of a tobacco shop on Church Street in downtown Orlando. The McKennas bought the house in 1985 and have spent many hours remodeling it and restoring several of its features.The 1,325-square-foot house, priced at $134,900, is listed with 100 Per Cent Real Estate, Orlando.The two-bedroom, one-bath house originally had three bedrooms, but the McKennas turned two front rooms into a master bedroom with a sitting room.

The land folks at Colliers Arnold played a big role in the development of Phillips Crossing, a retail center under construction in southwest Orlando. The center will feature the area's second Whole Foods Market. The 52,000-square-foot store is the anchor for the center being developed by Weingarten Realty Investors. Terry Marks, Weingarten's Central Florida point man, had searched for a Whole Foods' location for nearly three years. The Phillips Crossing site at Sand Lake Road and Turkey Lake Road was perfect, but the owners didn't want to sell.

Walt Disney Co. doesn't give up on an idea.Nearly a decade after Disney's Epcot Center failed to materialize as a futuristic place where thousands of people would work and live the company is again trying to build its dream city on a cow pasture in Osceola County.Will it happen this time?Disney executives emphatically say yes. They are eager to prove that the theme park giant can make good on its promise to build a self-contained community where 15,000 residents would be within walking and bicycling distance of shops, hospitals, libraries, parks, churches, schools, offices, day-care centers and their jobs.

A super-fast train planned for south Orange County seems to be inching toward an early 1994 opening, despite rumblings that threaten to run it off the track.''The groundwork has been laid for agreements,'' said Malcolm Kirschenbaum, chairman of a state board overseeing development of the train.Kirschenbaum met this week with officials of the company that wants to build the train, Maglev Transit Inc., plus representatives of Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World.The train relies on a technology known as magnetic levitation, or maglev.

Country is coming to Daytona Beach June 26-30 with tapings for The Nashville Network's concert series On Stage.Shows will take place at the Oceanfront Bandshell on the World's Most Famous Beach. Confirmed acts so far are the Marshall Tucker Band, June 27; Mark Chesnutt and Deborah Allen, June 28; Joe Diffie and Little Texas, June 29; and Neal McCoy and the Charlie Daniels Band, June 30. Other acts will be announced for June 26 and 27.Tickets are $8 per evening - with performances at 8 and 10 p.m. Gates will open at 7 p.m.The All-American College Orchestra, featuring young musicians from around the country, is again in residence at Disney's Epcot Center this summer.

Among artifacts on view in the American Adventure Showcase at Disney's Epcot Center are a desk used by President James Madison and an 1887 replica of George Washington's ''Rising Sun'' chair. These and other items have been made available for the Epcot show in honor of the bicentennial of the signing of the United States Constitution. The items will be on display for two years. Admission to Epcot, off Interstate 4 southwest of Orlando, is $26 for adults, $19.50 for ages 3-11. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

- Timothy and Lisa McKenna's 1922 dusty pink bungalow in the Lake Davis area of Orlando was built in 1922 for Aaron Litke, owner of a tobacco shop on Church Street in downtown Orlando. The McKennas bought the house in 1985 and have spent many hours remodeling it and restoring several of its features.The 1,325-square-foot house, priced at $134,900, is listed with 100 Per Cent Real Estate, Orlando.The two-bedroom, one-bath house originally had three bedrooms, but the McKennas turned two front rooms into a master bedroom with a sitting room.

Country is coming to Daytona Beach June 26-30 with tapings for The Nashville Network's concert series On Stage.Shows will take place at the Oceanfront Bandshell on the World's Most Famous Beach. Confirmed acts so far are the Marshall Tucker Band, June 27; Mark Chesnutt and Deborah Allen, June 28; Joe Diffie and Little Texas, June 29; and Neal McCoy and the Charlie Daniels Band, June 30. Other acts will be announced for June 26 and 27.Tickets are $8 per evening - with performances at 8 and 10 p.m. Gates will open at 7 p.m.The All-American College Orchestra, featuring young musicians from around the country, is again in residence at Disney's Epcot Center this summer.

Lorilei, the first manatee conceived and born in captivity, gave birth Friday night at Walt Disney World, a spokesman said.The 16-year-old manatee delivered a healthy male calf at 10:18 p.m. in an aquarium in the Living Seas complex at Disney's Epcot Center, said spokesman John Dryer. The calf is the first marine mammal born at the theme park.The newborn manatee is 3 1/2 feet long and weighs 50 to 60 pounds, said Tom Hopkins, Living Seas support manager.Disney has known since September 1990 that Lorilei was pregnant, Hopkins said.

Walt Disney Co. doesn't give up on an idea.Nearly a decade after Disney's Epcot Center failed to materialize as a futuristic place where thousands of people would work and live the company is again trying to build its dream city on a cow pasture in Osceola County.Will it happen this time?Disney executives emphatically say yes. They are eager to prove that the theme park giant can make good on its promise to build a self-contained community where 15,000 residents would be within walking and bicycling distance of shops, hospitals, libraries, parks, churches, schools, offices, day-care centers and their jobs.

A 300-mph train slated for south Orange County could be stopping near the International Drive tourist strip and not Walt Disney World, backers of the $500 million project said Tuesday.The decision by Maglev Transit Inc. of Tallahassee came as a surprise because some observers believe the privately financed venture cannot succeed without a Disney connection.Maglev president Sam Tabuchi said he has ordered a battery of studies to confirm his contention the new route would attract enough riders to make his revolutionary train a success.

A super-fast train planned for south Orange County seems to be inching toward an early 1994 opening, despite rumblings that threaten to run it off the track.''The groundwork has been laid for agreements,'' said Malcolm Kirschenbaum, chairman of a state board overseeing development of the train.Kirschenbaum met this week with officials of the company that wants to build the train, Maglev Transit Inc., plus representatives of Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World.The train relies on a technology known as magnetic levitation, or maglev.

A 300-mph train slated for south Orange County could be stopping near the International Drive tourist strip and not Walt Disney World, backers of the $500 million project said Tuesday.The decision by Maglev Transit Inc. of Tallahassee came as a surprise because some observers believe the privately financed venture cannot succeed without a Disney connection.Maglev president Sam Tabuchi said he has ordered a battery of studies to confirm his contention the new route would attract enough riders to make his revolutionary train a success.

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday it will boycott all Walt Disney Co. products if an upcoming exhibit on Israel depicts Jerusalem as the political capital of the Jewish nation. Arab culture ministers want to send a committee of Arab-Americans and Muslims to see the exhibit before it opens Oct.1 at Disney's Epcot Center - something Disney says it cannot allow because of an agreement with the exhibitor. Disney World spokesman Bill Warren would not say whether Disney would seek changes to the exhibit in response to the criticism.

By Vicki Vaughan and Adam Yeomans of The Sentinel Staff, April 23, 1989

Walt Disney World needed a few workers for its new Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park, so it went out and got them.In less than a month, Disney hired 2,300 people for the studios park, only 100 shy of the total employment at Kennedy Space Center and dozens more than work for SunTrust Banks Inc. or Southern Bell in the Orlando area or at the Orlando Naval Training Center.Disney's hiring of 2,300 people won't go unnoticed in Central Florida's tourism-based economy, where hotels, attractions, restaurants and other businesses must compete with the Mouse for entry-level workers.

WHAT A great idea! Letter writer Eric Harris suggested that a theme park highlighting the diversity of our great nation be established to balance Disney's Epcot Center.This idea has all the earmarks of a hit. Such a park would be patriotic and educational at a time when more of both are sorely needed. As a visitor to most of our states, I can attest to their endless variety and beauty.This park should be run by someone other than the Disney organization. Maybe the state of Florida, if it would spend the money to do it right, could run the park.